Tyler Nickerson observed “a big press pool” and “tons of people celebrating” federal recognition of same-sex marriage in states where it’s legal.

“It’s just kind of an electrifying moment,” said Nickerson, who is in Washington, D.C., on unrelated business. “It’s an honor and a joy to be a part of this kind of historical moment and being joined by an electrifying group of people that are really excited about this Supreme Court decision.”

Here’s how some gay-rights proponents are reacting to the Wednesday, June 27, ruling:

Danny Hossler, a Grand Rapids man who last week married Enrico Perez in a tribal ceremony at the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians courthouse in Dowagiac, does not know whether the ruling will affect his new marriage.

“If it does apply us, my gosh, it’s a nice feeling to know that we’re equal. It opens up a whole new ballgame for us, things we never considered before: filing taxes together, Social Security benefits.

“For states that have legalized same-sex marriage already, this opens up equality for them, a sense of being equal to heterosexual couples that are married. We are very, very happy.”

Erin Wilson, an organizer of Until Love is Equal, a group pushing for Holland to add sexual orientation to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance.

“Personally, I feel very American today. In terms of Until Love is Equal and Holland, the hope is that it provides some inspiration for reconsideration because on a lot of levels what happened in Holland was more significant than marriage because it involved your place of residence and your job. Putting those both in jeopardy, it would be hard to imagine getting married without knowing that they had a place to live and a job they could depend on.

“My hope in all of this is that it isn’t lost in the celebration of what happened today that we have our work ahead of us right here at home.”

Colleen Squires, pastor of All Souls Community Church in Grand Rapids whose same-sex marriage to Linda Squires is legally recognized in Massachusetts.

“God, we’ve been married 26 years and part of your worry when you’re with somebody is what happens when you die. It’s really difficult to protect someone you love against society that doesn’t honor our careers of working. Now it sounds like all of (our retirement plans) will be easily transferable. It’s relieving.

“I did not think it was going to be passed. I thought they would keep DOMA intact, so I’m actually shockingly, pleasantly surprised. It’s a huge win. The trend is happening. People are becoming educated. We’ve been here for a whole year and we haven’t affected one marriage on our street.”

Chris Silva, president of Vote Equal, which wants to put a gay marriage proposal on Michigan's ballot in 2016

“Obviously, it would have been nice to have seen a more broad interpretation on Prop 8, but for the most part it’s a very good sign that things are changing. I definitely applaud the Supreme Court for getting this decision right. We’re all really stoked about it. I’m pretty sure that this is going to be the pivot point for a lot of the states to ramp up their efforts.

“We think it’s going to add to the momentum that’s already going on in the state. If anything it’s helping us get fired up for what we have coming up next. Federally, we’re going in the right direction. We still have a lot of work to do in Michigan.”